How deep does the rabbit hole go?

With the Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) scandal breaking last Friday, it’s causing a bit of a stir in Congress. What really caught my eye was this bit from ABC news:

BRIAN ROSS: So far, Foley is the only member whose overt sexual approaches have been documented. Charlie?

CHARLES GIBSON: The only one to be documented, but are there other shoes to drop?

ROSS: We?re hearing quite a bit from former pages. They?re sending us all sorts of messages about possible other members.

Of course, perhaps bigger than the inappropriate behavior – which has already forced Foley to resign from the House and give up his reelection campaign – is the coverup. House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) has known about the emails and instant messages Foley sent to the 16-year-old page since at least early this year. Today, the Washington Times has called for Hastert to step down as Speaker.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert must do the only right thing, and resign his speakership at once. Either he was grossly negligent for not taking the red flags fully into account and ordering a swift investigation, for not even remembering the order of events leading up to last week’s revelations — or he deliberately looked the other way in hopes that a brewing scandal would simply blow away. He gave phony answers Friday to the old and ever-relevant questions of what did he know and when did he know it? Mr. Hastert has forfeited the confidence of the public and his party, and he cannot preside over the necessary coming investigation, an investigation that must examine his own inept performance.

House Majority Leader, Rep John Boehner (R-OH), is also peripherally involved. According to the Washington Post:

The resignation rocked the Capitol, and especially Foley’s GOP colleagues, as lawmakers were rushing to adjourn for at least six weeks. House Majority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) told The Washington Post last night that he had learned this spring of inappropriate “contact” between Foley and a 16-year-old page. Boehner said he then told House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.). Boehner later contacted The Post and said he could not remember whether he talked to Hastert.

So, Boehner talked to Hastert, before he didn’t talk to Hastert. This, combined with Boehner’s refusal to ask Ney to resign after his conviction, and his blatant politicizing of terrorism (saying Dems are “more interested in the rights of terrorists than protecting the American people”), shows that GOP leadership is morally bankrupt. It’s all about doing anything to try and stay in power, and that includes trying to cover up the actions of a man preying on teen boys.